Unit 2. Accents (2).

In particular, you will use the variety that has come to be known as
'BBC English'. BBC English is the pronunciation used by speakers such
as newsreaders and announcers on television and radio, including the
World Service. Some of these speakers have regional accents from the
United Kingdom, such as Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish accents, but
the accent you will hear is typical of those with an
English accent. This accent is taken as the 'model' because it is a
widely broadcast and respected variety, and for most people is easily
understood.

... you will hear a wide variety of English accents.

Recorded material used mainly for listening includes speakers with
different English accents. Some have English as their first language
(e.g. from Australia and the United States), while others have English
as a second or foreign language (e.g. from Japan and Poland). This will
help prepare you to understand different pronunciations of English.
Information about where speakers come from is given in the Key.

The use of English has spread far beyond those countries where it is
used as a firt language. In some countries, such as India, Malawi, the
Philippines and Singapore, English is an important second language for
many speakers, and has often become the language used in official
contexts such as courts, parliament and higher education. More
recently, many other countries, such as Brazil, China, Thailand and
Russia, have recognised the importance of English as an international
language of communication, and encouraged its teaching in schools and
colleges. In each country, the English spoken is influenced by other
languages widely used there, and each variety is different in features
of its grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation.

The widespread use of English as an international language means that
much of the interaction in English that now goes on around the world is
between speakers who don't have English as a first language. For
example, when German and Spanish politicians meet to discuss policies
of the European Union, their chosen language of communication might
well be English. The same might apply when Saudi Arabian and Japanese
people meet to do business.

Important for listening! The consequence of this is that there is an enormous variety of accents
of English in addition to those of 'British English', 'American
English', 'Australian English' and so on, and you may be more likely to
speak to people with 'Indian English', 'Singaporean English' or
'Russian English' pronunciation.It would be impossible, however, to
learn to 'switch' your pronunciation each time you were talking to a
speaker with a variety of English different from your own - to use an
Australian English pronunciation with an Australian, or Chinese English
pronunciation with a Chinese person. Consequently, it is useful to
'model' your pronunciation on one variety - but also recognise that
this is just one of many equally acceptable varieties.

Listen. You will hear the same text read three times: first by a
speaker of BBC English, second by a speaker of Jamaican English, and
third by a Polish speaker of English. They are talking about moving
into a new house and some of the things they have had to buy.Here
are some notes on how the pronunciation in part of the reading by the
speaker of Jamaican English is different from that in the reading by
the speaker of BBC English.Key.

Now do the same for this part of the text read by the Polish speaker of English.

... I had to do quite a lot of decorating. I've wallpapered the bedroom
and painted the bathroom so far but there's still quite a lot todo.
But I'm in no hurry and I'm really enjoyingit. It's great having my
own place at last.

Are there any accents of English that are of particular interest or importance to you?Practise listening to people with these accents as much as possible.

Follow up:Record yourself reading the text in exercise 2. Practise a few times
before recording. Then write out the text again, and make notes on it,
highlighting diferences between your pronunciation and that of the
speaker of BBC English. (Alternatively, you could get a friend or
teacher to make notes for you.)